Court Awards N5m Against Police, NIHORT Director Over Unlawful Arrest, Detention Of Lawyer In Kwara

The Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has awarded N5 million in damages against the Nigeria Police Force and the Director of the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, Professor Muhammad Lawal Atanda, over the arrest and detention of a lawyer.

The judgment was delivered on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/IL/CS/134/2025, involving Omotosho Kazeem Kareem (Esq) v. Commissioner of Police, Oyo State & 5 Ors.

According to a report by BarristerNG, Justice Abimbola O. Awogboro held that the arrest and detention of Kareem were illegal and unconstitutional, and violated his fundamental rights to personal liberty and dignity of the human person guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution.

The court found that the 1st to 3rd respondents, namely the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State; the Police Service Commission; and Inspector Segun Fawoyi, acted unlawfully at the alleged instigation of the 4th to 6th respondents.

Those respondents were identified as DSP Olufunke Adu, Professor Muhammad Lawal Atanda, Director of NIHORT, Ibadan, and Mr. Lawal Musiliu.

According to BarristerNG, the court held that the respondents acted to harass, intimidate and detain Kareem without lawful justification.

Justice Awogboro also condemned the alleged use of the police for personal vendetta and oppression and consequently awarded N5 million in compensatory damages against the respondents jointly and severally.

The judgment described the arrest and detention as a violation of the lawyer’s constitutional rights.

Reacting to the judgment, members of the Ilorin Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association described it as a landmark victory and a warning to public officers and security agencies against alleged abuse of power.

They said the judgment should serve as a reminder that public officers and security agencies must respect citizens’ fundamental rights, including those of lawyers carrying out their lawful professional duties.